Ice creeper



May 25, 1948.

c. B. FISHER ICE GREEPER Filed May 14, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 25, 1948. c. B. FISHER 2,441,998

ICE CREE-PER Filed May 14, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 ZZ /&

f ,7 S A? INVENTOR. c/mnss B. fifif/EK BYEfii'n/g 5 555151? Patented May 25, 1948 UNITED STATES IGE CREEPER Charles B- Fishcr, dec ,v lat of Will amsport Pa by Gertrude F. Fish rr a minis ratr x,

Wllliamsport, P l

Application May 14, 1946, Serial No. 663,636

3 Claims. 1-

The present invention relates gene-rally to im provements in detachable antieslipp-ing devices of the removable type to be worn on boots and shoes, and more specifically to ice creepers adapted for fastening, as. by toe and heel straps to the boot. or shoe, and when worn for use the creepers extend the full length of the boot or shoe from heel to toe.

While the rem va le creepers are adapted for use as safety devices for outdofll Workers enaged in various occupations, they are particularly designed to prevent slipping o lee, snow, and other slippery surfaces, and .9 insure a firm foothold on plane surfaces as well as on sidehills.

Because of the simplicity in construction of the component parts employed in the manufacture of the creepers the parts may with facility be produced in quantities at relatively low cost and readily assembled, and each creeper is then provided with a pair of standard make fastening straps that may readily be r pla ed if and when necessary! The primary object of the invention is the pro! vision of creepers that may with facility be applied to the shoes to. present a neat appearance and insure comfort to the wearer; and by the utilization of a flexible or hin ed sole-plate the wearer is enabled to Walk with a natural step, and without tiring due to the presence of the creepers.

In the accompanying drawings one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention is illustrated wherein parts are combined and arranged according to one mode thus fardevised for the practical application of the prin, ciples of the invention, but it will be understood that various changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures, within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the principles of the invention.

' Fi ure 1 is a plan v ew o one of a pair f d plicate creepers in which the invention is embodied, the toe and heel straps being omitted, and parts of'the chains being broken away for convenience of illustration.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the creeper in Fig. 1 with the chains and side fastening members omitted.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a conventional high shoe or boot with one of the creepers strapped thereto.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view as at line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In'car yins out the in ent n and a illustr t ed i th in s a c ntral l ng tu ina ly ex tending flat metallic bar or narrow base-plat l is ut li ed, wh ch t nates at ts ea e d in; an upright integral post 2, and ben a h thi b se bar a somewh tr ang la or taperi el p ate a i riveted as at 4, 4. Projec in l t r lyf om the forward end of the hee plate are arranged two alined angle b a kets 5 ve ed a 4'011 the top of the he l p at nd these ng e brackets are fa hion d. i h i egra u ri t post 6, milar to he ar p st 2- Th rear res 2 and. he t o s d o ts 6 5 a e uni d by a u-shaped pen. f on e l bra e, here shown as consisting of two rounded come parati el-y th n metallic st aps l and t es stra -s2 hi h may be of r i ient metal are atta kled at thei en s by i ets 4 t the two. de ests. and the rear ost- The fron en f the. ba bar I is s cur ly iv t d top of a ta erin soled a e 8 nd a tee-plate or ball lat S s hing d flexib nnetted 0 ar ieulated w th h 91 pla by a hinge ID, the blades or wings of the hinge being secured by ri e s 4 to th respective plates .8 and 9.. The sole nle e th toe-pl e are bo h e trian ula forma i n it their Wi est pe tlons unit d by the h te .ieint, and th s J n d onneetion betw en h plate a pr xim es the rtieulat en of the tural foe-t to e m a ward and backwa d m ion so th he wei t f t ma b upported on the ball of the feet hen the h e i raised, a in walking.

The heel plate. th so e p a e. and the te plate, together with he h uee wine a a l firml united with the base a t p event e -a reeking of the creeper. as well as to prevent lateral rocking of the b ot or sh when t e w ar r is walking.

Each of th plates i and ll is p e id d with inte ral calks to reven li pin la era l as well as forwardly and baelrw r, an these calk which are arran ed in pa rs are stre k e ent from the plates in predetermined positions with respect to th plates,

The three pairs or c lk that prev nt. t ward and backward slipping, and hereinafter referred to as longitudinal calks, are indicated by the number II, and they are located at the front of the toe-plate, the rear of the sole-plate; and the rear end of the heel plate, just in front of the rear post 2.

The three pairs of calks that prevent lateral slipping are indicated by the number I2, and

they project from the widest portions of the 1 several plates to insure a wide bearing for the creepers.

For co-action with the U-shaped heel brace 1, in fastening the heel portion of the creeper to the shoe or boot, a heel strap or ankle strap 14 is employed, as in Fig. 3, which strap may be of leather, fabric, or other desirable material, and provided with a buckle I5, and the strap, preferably, is doubled to connect two metallic loops as I6, [6, each of which is mounted by a bracket I! on a lateral or side post 6 and secured by the rivet 4. The bracket and loop'are.

course that the creepers are employed in pairs, and inasmuch as the creepers are all of similar construction and interchangeable for use with either the right foot or the left foot a selection is not necessary in putting them on the boots or shoes.

From this description taken in connection with the drawings, it will be apparent that the creepers may be put on the'boots of'a wearer and the fastening straps secured in manner similar to the application of a pair of skates to the booted feet of a skater, and with equal facility preferably arranged at an angle to the plane of Y the U-shaped brace so that the strap may extend smoothly across the front portion of the ankle and securely fasten the heel of the creeper to the boot or shoe.

As indicated in Fig. 3 the toe portion of thev creeper is fastened by means of a strap 18 and its buckle 19, the strap being looped or doubled across the toe of the boot to unite a pair of metallic yokes 20 and 21 each having eyes 22 at their front and rear ends. The yokes are loosely or flexibly connected to the toe plate and the sole plate, respectively, by chains 23 and 24,'and

.the plates are fashioned with holes 25 for attachment of the chains.

The chains are of suitable length to permit the yokes being lifted up and positioned parallel with the sides of the boot or shoe for connection by the doubled or looped strap 18, and it will be noted that the chains or flexible connections at the endsof the yokes or bridge bars 20, 2|, are connected in pairs to the plates,

The pair of chains 2'4, 24, are connected to the sole plate 8 and the pair of chains 23, 23, are

connected to the toe plate 9, the chains 23 and 24 being anchored to the plates at opposite sides of the transversely extending hinge joint 10, in order to provide a wide and substantial structure that permits flexing of the sole portion of the creeper, and at the same time prevents displacei ment' of parts. 7 V

The side yokes or bridgebars 20, 2|, at the toe portion of the creeper perform the same functions as the U-shaped brace I at the heel portion'of the creeper, and the chains, which may be adjusted as to' length, readily adapt the I creeper to difierent widths of boots or shoes, while the U-shaped brace is of a size to accommodate a standard type of heel. I

As an aid to the longitudinal and lateral calks, the base bar I may be provided with additional antislipping devices in the nature of short spikes or studs S, S, that are riveted in holes provided therefor by turning down the heads S of the studs.

These studs or spikes located between the heel plate and the sole plate are arranged at opposite sides of the center line of the bar, or staggered, and as best seen in Fig. 2 the pointed ends of the tapered studs terminate short of the ground line, to act as auxiliary supports for the creeper when needed.

While only one of the creepers has been illustrated and described, it will be understood of the. creepers may be removed by loosening the two buckled straps of each creeper. They may be firmly secured to the boots to insure comfort to the wearer, and they are efficient in the performance of their functions without materially impeding the foot-action of the wearer in his natural gait or walk.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed herein and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a creeper as described, the combination, with a longitudinally extending base member and a sole-plate rigid therewith, of a toe-plate, a transversely arranged hin'ge joint between said plates, a pair of rigid strap-yokes arranged transversely of the hinge joint, and flexible connections between said yokes and the respective plates.

2. In a creeper as described, the combination, with a longitudinally extending base-bar, and a sole-plate rigid therewith, of a toe-plate, a transversely arranged hinge joint between said plates, a pair of laterally extending chains attached to each plate; and a pair of strap-yokes at opposite sides of the plates pairs.

In a creeper as described, the combination, with a longitudinally extending base-bar hav-' ing an upright end-post, a heel plate rigid with the base bar anda pair of side posts rigid with said plate, a U-shaped heel-brace mounted in said posts, and means for attaching an anklestrap to the side posts, of a sole-plate rigid with the bar, a toe-plate hinged to the sole-plate, a pair of alined laterally extending chains connected to each of said sole and toe plates, and a pair of side strap-yokes each connected at its opposite ends to the outer ends of a pair of said chains.

. GERTRUDE F. FISHER. Administratrix for Charles B. Fisher, Deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references-are of recor'din the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 54,804 Wilkinson May 15,1866 1,837,730 Smith Dec. 22, 1931 2,139,884 Dow Feb. 13, 1940 2,399,638 Kalnitz May '7, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 216,600 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1941 connecting said chains in 

